If there is one theme that captures 2021 for our industry, it is making a strong comeback after an unexpected year in 2020. Across the board, we have seen our industry rebound in equipment sales, application development, improved machinery technology, advances in environmental sustainability, and more. We learned much from the challenges presented by the pandemic, moving forward with renewed purpose in how we do business and creating opportunities for performance-driven innovation. It has been inspiring working alongside you, our customers, as we have forged ahead during a year of significant progress. Thank you for your trust in our ability to provide timely service and equipment technology that supports your processing goals and profitability.
As we enter 2022, we have a positive outlook bolstered by industry-wide gains made over the past year. We anticipate food and protective packaging and agricultural films to remain strong, along with the medical, pipe, telecom, and building/construction markets. We’ll also see an uptick in industrial markets linked to infrastructure and alternative fuel transportation, as well as power markets that support off-shore wind and solar. This is an exciting time to be in our industry! We also recognize that global supply chain delays are affecting all of us and not just our industry. We are doing our best to manage this relative to our needs to support our commitments to you. Our goal is to mitigate delays the best we can by working diligently with our suppliers and being proactive in our approach.
Regarding adjustments post-pandemic, we’ll continue to hire employees to address growth and use virtual tools to support you with troubleshooting and other needs when we cannot address them in person. We also look forward to more in-person tradeshows, events, and conferences. Some shows we’re planning to attend in the first and second quarters of 2022 include Interplastica, Plastindia, Plastimagen, ICE Europe, PT Expo 2022, MD&M West, Chinaplas, and Wire Dusseldorf.
We have exciting news on the technology front, with some of you already taking advantage. Our equipment strategy evolves around industry trends and customer demands. For example, we have seen an increased need for automation to better utilize existing personnel, facilitate operational readiness, and increase production outputs. We’ve also seen more demand for processing bio-materials and mono-material structures to address environmental concerns while also reducing the overall amounts of processed material. We continue to address these trends with highly efficient equipment and feedscrew designs, including equipment with a more compact footprint and the use of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) to provide continuous process monitoring and better performance analytics. We’ve also done our best to keep you informed of trends and best practices through a series of informative virtual seminars and webinars. We hope you’ve been able to take advantage of some of these as they covered a range of relevant topics.
Examples of new technologies introduced in 2021 that address the above are our DS Activ-Check™, XP Express® AGT next generation roll stand, and SHO and CHP extruder series for high outputs.
The DS Activ-Check™ is a custom-designed, cloud-based platform that leverages systems and strategies offered by the IIoT. This tool harnesses digital transformation to simplify complex process data to increase operator effectiveness, leading to reduced downtime, better product quality, and reinforced operator safety. The configurable platform engine uses analytical tools based on long-term cloud data storage along with process and equipment technology algorithms to help management and production teams identify and improve product quality and line efficiency. We anticipate the implementation of this technology to grow in 2022 as the industry fully takes advantage of the benefits of Industry 4.0.
The XP Express®– AGT (Active Gravity Touch) roll stand can be used for both sheet and cast extrusion for the full range of sheet and cast applications. The roll stand is available in three options depending on requirements. Each has a fully automated multi-roll gap nip, individual roll speed and temperature control, enhanced heat transfer, and an adaptable pull-roll design. This is augmented by a four-point Y-axis and traverse X-axis control to support operator functionality further. In addition, uniform cooling on both sides, double polishing capabilities, reduced web stress, and consistent web orientation and thickness control promote high-quality, flat sheet with desired clarity.
In terms of extruders, we launched our new SHO and CHP series. Both extruders offer a more compact footprint with higher outputs to address profitability factors. With all components enclosed, these sleek designs extrude at rates up to 100 percent higher than traditional machines and provide faster purges between resins/colors. As a result, customers can benefit from reduced raw material loss, improved transition times, greater flexibility for upgrades, and better production outputs. The SHO is engineered for large-scale applications. The CHP offers coextrusion benefits for extrusion coating applications due to its compact footprint, lighter weight, and higher output.
And these are just a few examples. We are in a strong position to continue investing in machine tool upgrades that support manufacturing of key process components, as well as ongoing R&D investments, strong aftermarket services, and employee development. This is bolstered by the recent news that Davis-Standard was acquired by New York-based private equity firm Gamut Capital Management, L.P. We are excited to partner with Gamut during this next phase of our long history of providing highly engineered solutions to you, our industry-leading customers. Gamut resources will enable us to accelerate growth within various markets while ensuring you have the value-added resources and machinery technology needed to support your production and bottom-line objectives.
In closing, we are grateful for you, our customers, and the positive impact you make each day as you bring essential and influential products to market. Thank you for being on this journey with us. We wish you good health and all the best in the coming year!
